Wedding Sparklers Blog

Beach weddings require some creative decoration ideas since they are different than an indoor wedding. When choosing decoration ideas keep in mind the weather conditions that could occur on the big day.

A common decorating theme for a beach wedding is red and white, but you should choose whatever colors will make your day feel special. Whether you choose a red and white color scheme or not, flowers are always a good prop for decorating for a beach wedding. White and red roses can go perfectly with your theme. Heavy rocks and other similar items can be used to prevent the flowers from being blown away in a strong breeze.

As long as available space on the beach allows it, musical instruments are a nice touch for any beach wedding. Hiring a small classical music band can add to the ambience of the ceremony and/or the reception.

Another decorating idea for a beach wedding, especially one that takes place at sunset, is tea candles. Lining your aisle with tea candles nestled safely in candle glasses makes your wedding even more romantic. Torches can be used to line the site of the wedding so that the party can continue well after dark.

To decorate items such as food and gift tables, ribbons are a cheap and easy resource. The ribbons can match your wedding colors or can represent the colors of the beach. Chairs used for guests to sit in can also be adorned with ribbons. In addition, some couples choose to have a wine table at their beach wedding, which ribbons can also be used to decorate. Lighted garlands are also a great choice for an evening wedding. Choosing lights that run on batteries, rather than electricity, will ensure that your lights last the duration of the wedding. Having extra batteries at the wedding should give you peace of mind. Grass skirts can also be used for a beach wedding. The skirts can be used as a border around the table or even as part of a centerpiece.

Other options for table centerpieces at a beach wedding include oysters shells, shaped driftwood, floating centerpieces, fishbowls, tin pails, conch shells, mini lighthouses or sand castles, a bowl of sea shells or a pail of sunflowers. Some couples even include colored sand in their décor. Clear glass bowls and vases with colored sand in them can serve as an affordable and creative table centerpiece.

Decorating the area of the beach where your wedding will be held is as easy as scattering colored stones and seashells. Driftwoods and ocean rocks can also add some beautiful décor to your beach wedding and make it feel more authentic.

Parasols are the perfect way to decorate for your beach wedding and also provide your guests with a source of shade. For a mid -afternoon wedding this can make the difference between happy guests and uncomfortable guest.

Decorating for your beach wedding can be a fun experience with a lot of unique options, so just let your creative side run wild and you’ll have a beautiful backdrop for your special moments.

If you’ve been to a wedding reception before, odds are you’ve encountered a most annoying tradition during the dinner. You may even have helped perpetuate the tradition, unaware of how tedious it is for the bride and groom. Now that it’s your turn to be married, it’s a tradition you will want to avoid at all costs. We’re talking, of course, about the glass clinking for a kiss. Sure, it starts out innocuously enough. Someone clinks their silverware against a glass and the wedding couple smooches. But soon people are clinking every three minutes, the noise is deafening, and the wedding couple can’t enjoy their dinner. Don’t let this happen to you. Tell your guests before the meal starts that there will be no clinking. If they want to compel you to kiss, your guests will have to:

Sing a Romantic Song

If they’re going to interrupt your dinner, you should get something out of it as well. Have your guests serenade you with at least one verse of their favorite romantic song. Some guests will be too shy to come sing, which will save you a few interruptions, and those who do will be either charming or hilariously awful. It’s pretty much a win-win.

Provide Advice to the Couple

A line of people getting up one after the other to give you a bit of advice on your new marriage is infinitely preferable to the sound of silverware on glass. You might actually learn a thing or two that will help in your married life together, and if not you’re sure to have a few comedians in the crowd whose advice will entertain everyone. You could even have your maid of honor write down the best bits of advice, so you can put them in your wedding album.

Share a Romantic Story

Weddings are celebrations of love, so it makes sense to have your guests tell a romantic story to ‘earn’ their wedding couple kiss. Partners can tell how they met or a memorable date with their significant other. Or you could flip it around and have your guests tell the crowd a memory they have of you as a couple, the more potentially embarrassing, the better.

Kiss Their Partner First

Here’s another good way to reduce the number of times your meal is interrupted, while still keeping the celebration of love going. In order to get the wedding couple to kiss, guests must bring their significant other up in front of everyone and smooch while you applaud. It gives them a taste of their own medicine, in a fun and playful way.

Answer a Question About the Bride and Groom

Here’s a way to turn the kissing ‘game’ into an actual fun game for everyone involved. Have your maid of honor or best man prepare a list of trivia questions about you and your partner. To make you kiss, the guest must answer the question correctly. If they answer right, everyone learns something about the wedding couple and you smooch. If they answer wrong, there will be no smooching and they’ll have to sit back down. Bonus points for having a buzzer for wrong answers.

We all know the glass-clinking custom is annoying. But don’t eliminate it; make it better. Any of the above options will be more fun for you and your guests.

There is no question that weddings can be expensive and that most of us have to plan one within a budget. Certain parts of the wedding planning will be more challenging to fit into your budget than others.

The first thing many couples struggle with is exactly who to invite to their wedding. This is a crucial aspect of your planning because you will need to choose a venue that can hold the number of people you expect to invite. Since for most couples, the wedding venue is the most expensive part, these two considerations go hand in hand.

To make it easier to fit your venue into your wedding budget it helps to be flexible when it comes to choosing one. This also goes hand in hand with the date you’d like to get married on. It can be a challenge to keep from blowing your budget if you have a desire to get married over a holiday weekend or you have your heart set on a Saturday wedding. To get around the high cost of any wedding venue, consider having the ceremony on a Friday afternoon/evening or anytime on a Sunday.

So many aspects come into the wedding planning process that it can be easy to spend the budget on the bigger aspects while forgetting about the smaller ones. This becomes challenging when you realize you have left a part of the planning process out of your budget.

While it is easy to think of purchasing wedding invitations you might get thrown for a loop when you realize how much money you’ll have to spend on postage to mail them all out. You may also not realize that it will cost you more for postage if your wedding invitations are square. One way around this is to hand deliver as many of your invitations as you can. If you do need to mail invitations stick to the standard stamps, as fancier stamps will cost you more and the truth is that your guests aren’t likely to take a second glance at the stamp on their invitation. In addition to mailing out the invitations you’ll also have to separately mail out the RSVP and save the date cards, as well as the thank you cards you’ll send after the wedding.

Speaking of, on your wedding day you’re going to need a lot of small items that you might not think of before you leave home. This usually leads to someone from the wedding running out and picking up last minute items, which can result in spending money you didn’t have budgeted to spend. The best way around this is to pack a bag of wedding day necessities at least one week before the big event.

These are some of the most common things we forget when planning the budget for a wedding. When you have an effective game plan you can avoid running into these hurtles at any point during the day of your wedding.

So you’re planning your wedding reception, and for any of a number of very good possible reasons, you’ve decided to have a dry reception. It’s certainly an acceptable option for anyone with religious or lifestyle reasons to avoid alcohol. But it does make the reception planning a little more difficult. While there are plenty of articles about cash bar versus open bar, or wine and beer versus cocktails, there are very few resources for tasty non-alcoholic beverages. So we’re creating one right here, right now. Here are a few delicious non-alcoholic drinks that are cool and refreshing for your summer wedding reception.

Minty Arnold Palmer

The Arnold Palmer is the classic mock-tail, which mixes two simple ingredients–lemonade and iced tea–to come up with something that tastes like more than the sum of its parts. But you can take it to the next level by adding a dash of mint simple syrup and some mint sprigs to each glass. It makes the perfect summertime drink even more refreshing, especially when served ice cold.

Shirley Temple

For a 1920’s themed wedding, go for the classic non-alcoholic favorite of adorable curly-haired moppets everywhere. The recipe couldn’t be simpler–just mix a dash of grenadine (cherry-flavored syrup) with a tall glass of lemon-lime soda, and there you have it. The sugar kick will keep your guests dancing well into the evening, and the color will stain everyone’s teeth, making for hilarious pictures.

Moscow Donkey

The Moscow Mule is one of the most delicious summer cocktails known to man. It contains dark (non-alcoholic) ginger beer, lime juice, mint, vodka and plenty of ice, served in a copper cup for maximum chill. The thing is, the vodka doesn’t add any flavor to the drink, since vodka’s not the most flavorful thing out there. So just leave out the vodka and keep the other ingredients and you’ve got a delicious mock-tail.

Safe Sex on the Beach

It’s worth making this your signature cocktail just for the brilliant pun. It’s dead simple to make, too–just mix cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, and peach nectar in equal proportions and top with a maraschino cherry. It’s got a decadently tropical feel to it, almost cloyingly sweet, but still pleasant over ice.

Lemon Blueberry Colada

Not enough mock-tails have that great tiki-room coconut vibe to them, but this one seeks to address that void. To make it, combine 8 parts sparkling lemonade with 2 parts light coconut milk and one part grenadine. Add frozen blueberries as ice cubes and you’ve got a great refreshing drink for that mid-reception slowdown.

Cucumber Agua Fresca

This fun blended drink is about as refreshing as you can get without diving into a pool. Just peel and seed your cucumbers, then blend them with water, ice, sugar, lime juice, and a pinch or two of salt, all to taste. You’ll end up with a fresh-tasting, not overly-sweet slushy that kids and grownups alike can enjoy.

Just because you’re having a dry reception doesn’t mean you have to give up on a signature cocktail. Just make it one of these mock-tails and you’ll provide your guests with a cold, refreshing beverage that’s perfect on a hot summer day.

Wedding expenses really are the gift that keeps on giving. You may think you’re done after you’ve paid the florist, the caterers, the photographer, and everyone else for their services. But as with most jobs in the service industry, many of the people who work your wedding will be expecting a tip. The amounts vary, and there are some people you shouldn’t tip, and some you should tip more than others. It can be confusing to know what the etiquette is, but follow this guide and you won’t stiff or overpay anyone.

Don’t tip the owner

The main rule of thumb for not tipping is that the owner of a business does not receive a tip. They’re the direct recipient of every dime you pay in fees, so they don’t need a little extra on the top. That goes for photographers, hair stylists, even florists: if they own the business, you’re not expected to tip.

Photographers: $50-$100

As we mentioned up top, if you have one photographer and their name is on the van they pull up in, you don’t need to tip. But if you’ve hired a few photographers from a studio, it’s customary to tip each one $50-$100.

Hair stylist/makeup artist-20-25%

Unless the hair stylist and makeup artist is the owner of the beauty salon, tip as you would when you get your hair done normally, at 20-25%. If they come to the venue, set up, and do a fantastic job making you and your bridesmaids look fabulous, a little over 25% is perfectly appropriate.

Wedding planner–gift or up to $500

Some sources say not to tip the wedding planner, some say to get a small gift rather than cash, and some say you should tip cash up to $500. We think it comes down to the size of the wedding, your wedding budget, and how much your planner made your life easier. We do tend to come down on the side of a thoughtful gift rather than a cash tip, though.

Caterers – 15-20%

Just like dining out at a restaurant, it’s customary to tip your caterers 10-15%. Unlike a restaurant setting, you don’t need to tip individual wait staff.

Officiant – donation to church

If you’re having a church wedding, there’s a good chance the minister officiating will forgo a fee in exchange for a donation to the church. Most couples donate around $100–after all, it’s for a good cause.

Florist – 10-15% if you want to

Your florist is most likely not expecting a tip, but if the flowers were exceptional and they did great work staging the arrangements, you may want to add 10-15% as a sign of gratitude.

DJ/Band – 10-15% if you want to

Likewise, DJs and bands generally don’t expect to be tipped. You can add 10-15% for exceptional party-starting, or tip individual band members $15-$20 apiece if they had to schlepp their own equipment.

Set-up/tear-down people – $5-$10 apiece

Make sure that the people helping to set up chairs and to take down tables when the dancing starts get a little consideration for their labor. Slip each of them a $5 or $10 bill when you get the chance.

Wedding ceremony musicians – $10-15 apiece

In addition to their fee for playing, it’s customary to tip the musicians who play at your wedding up to $15 apiece for their time and as an appreciation of their art.

When you’re calculating your wedding budget, don’t forget to add in the tips to avoid sticker shock on the day. After all, the people who worked hard to make your wedding as beautiful as it can be deserve a little extra consideration for their labor.

So who says that you have to have a three-tiered fondant-covered cake at your wedding, anyway? Sure, it’s the traditional dessert at a wedding reception. But like any wedding tradition, it’s to be followed only if it suits you and your partner’s vision for the day. If you’re not big on cake; or even not big on desserts in general, there are plenty of ways you can play with the idea of the big display cake without actually having cake involved. Read on for a few out-there ideas that are anything but traditional.

Pizza

When you think about it, pizza and wedding cake have a lot in common. They both are traditionally round but occasionally come in squares, both are eaten by the slice, both are baked, and … well, that’s about it. Still, a multi-tiered display of pizza is a fun way to get around the wedding cake tradition. It’s not a sweet treat, but it can be the main course at your reception instead of the dessert.

Waffles

If you’re having a brunch reception, you can certainly be excused from having a traditional cake. Who eats cake before noon? Instead, stick with the “round and baked” principal of the pizza and go for a waffle display. Instead of frosting, you can offer your guests multiple fruit, syrup, and whipped cream options to top their waffles.

Truffles

Now, we’re not talking the kind of truffles that pigs dig for, the mushrooms that grow on the roots of trees. No, we’re talking the rich chocolate-filled-chocolate confection type of truffles. We’ve seen couples make something resembling a croquembouche with truffles instead of puff-pastry. It’s beautiful, it’s delicious, and it’s so rich that you can get by with smaller portions than you’d need for cake.

Snack foods

Of all the “stack things up and pretend it’s cake” options, this is our favorite: a three-tiered wedding cake made of Twinkies, Hostess cupcakes, and other snack foods. It sounds a little hillbilly, but in practice it can look pretty glamourous. We think it’s the perfect combination of kitsch and class. Just don’t ask us to eat any of those preservative-laden stomach bombs.

Dessert Shots

If the whole three-tier display isn’t your style, you can ditch the basic cake-shape all together and go for something a la carte and elegant. Dessert shots are a great way to provide some variety to your guests. We’re not talking booze, here–just regular desserts served in single-serving bite-size portions. Sometimes they’re prepared in actual shot glasses for portability and portion control.

Cookies

You know there’s one dessert item that just doesn’t get enough love; Cookies. Sure, we’ll eat them if there’s a box of Girl Scout cookies around, but when was the last time you sought out cookies rather than settled for them? You can right this confectionery wrong by featuring cookies as the dessert at your wedding. Bonus points for serving them with a short, wide glass of milk to encourage dipping.

If wedding cake isn’t your thing, let your imagination run wild and see what other possibilities come to mind. If you can put it on a cake stand, it totally counts.

Okay, gentlemen, your wedding day has arrived; and whether or not you were in the Boy Scouts growing up, now’s the time to be prepared. When the ceremony starts, you want to be impeccably dressed and groomed, fresh breath and all, ready to say those vows. To help make sure you have everything you need on the day, we’ve put together this checklist for a groom survival kit. Give the list to your best man and make sure everything’s taken care of for the big day.

Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Floss: You don’t want to knock the bride over with buzzard breath as you’re saying your vows. And you don’t want her happy memory of the day to be tainted with the visual of her groom smiling with something stuck in your teeth. Take a few minutes to brush and floss up before you put on your suit coat (wouldn’t want to get toothpaste on the tux).

Razor: Sure, as the groom, you’re going to shave at home before you head to the venue. But if you miss a spot in your haste to get ready, you’ll regret it all the way through the reception. Take your razor with you in your survival kit for touch-ups just in case.

Lint roller: You may not usually use a lint roller in your day-to-day routine–but you also don’t wear a black tux in your day-to-day. Those things pick up lint, pet hair, and dust like nobody’s business. Have your best man give the whole tux a once-over before you walk down the aisle.

Nail clippers and file: Make sure your nails are cut short and filed before you say your vows. Your bride’s going to hold the hand of her groom while she puts the ring on, and she’ll notice if you put in the extra effort to make them look nice.

Deodorant: Every groom is really nervous on the big day. You might need an extra swipe or two of antiperspirant before the day is done.

Extra pair of black socks: dress socks are notoriously flimsy, and dude’s toenails are notoriously sharp. You don’t want to walk down the aisle with one toe poking out of a hole in your sock, so grab an extra pair.

Cufflinks: Cufflinks are small and easily lost, so we recommend bringing along an extra pair just in case.

Band-Aids: With all the filing and shaving and nervousness, you may need a little first aid before your preparations are done. Always keep some bandages in your survival kit.

Snacks: There’s usually a decent stretch of time between getting to the venue and the part of the reception where you can finally eat something. Make sure to have some snacks (something that won’t stain clothes or your teeth) on hand to keep your blood sugar up.

With the proper groom survival kit, you’ll be fully equipped to roll up to the ceremony without a hair out of place. Oh, that reminds me–you should bring a brush or a comb in your groom’s survival kit, too.

When you and your partner leave the chapel on your wedding day, you could hop into the same faithful Honda Civic that got you to the ceremony. It might lack panache, sure, but transportation is transportation. Or you could upgrade to a limousine, but when you think about it, what’s a limousine but just a nicer version of that same old car? If you really want to leave the wedding and embark on your new life together in style, consider these unconventional modes of transportation

Canoe

Okay, so there’s one major requirement you’ll need if you plan on getting away by boat: water. If you’re getting married by a lake, pond, or slow river, a canoe is a nifty rustic option for your wedding getaway. The experience of paddling together to keep the boat pointed where you want it to go is a good way to start your life as a new couple. And accidentally capsizing the canoe and being able to continue without assigning blame and arguing is good practice, too.

Horseback

If you and your partner are experienced riders, why not ride into the sunset together after the ceremony? The bride on a white horse, the groom on a black horse–you’ll get some great pictures out of your nuptial ride. Just make sure both of you know how to ride so no one gets hurt–if you’ve never been on a horse in your life, you might want a safer option. Maybe a donkey; they’re more docile.

Tandem Bicycle

If you’re not into the unpredictable element of giant live animals at your wedding, you can do a different kind of ride into the sunset on a tandem bicycle. We recommend practice with this one too, though–they’re harder to ride than it looks. Still, if you can master it in time for the ceremony, it’ll be absolutely adorable. Just prepare for guests to sing “Daisy, daisy, tell me your answer, do” as you ride off.

Yellow School Bus

No one really wants to ride the school bus when they’re in school. Once you’ve been out of school for a while, nostalgia starts to set in. Take you and your wedding party back in time by renting a school bus to shuttle you from the ceremony to the reception. Spitballs and back-of-the-bus make out sessions are optional.

Hay ride

If you’re having a fall wedding or a rustic wedding, or both; then a hay ride is a no-brainer for transportation between the wedding and the reception. Then you can arrange for a ride with just you and your new partner, snuggling up in the hay with a blanket wrapped around you, looking up at the stars. Unless you have seasonal allergies, it’s pretty romantic.

Helicopter

Of course, if you have the means and the inclination to go large on your post-wedding transportation, you can go all out and rent a helicopter to deliver you to the start of your honeymoon. Just don’t take a helicopter to the ceremony itself–the prop wash will totally wreck the bride’s hair.

When you think about it, a wedding reception is kind of a strange animal. It’s a huge party with drinking and dancing–only your parents and close relatives are there. With the range of ages and personality types at a wedding, it can be tricky to include a little something for everyone. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the dance floor. While the millennials may be eager to dance to the latest from Pharrell or Meghan Trainor, the old folks will start to vacate the dance floor if they don’t hear something from their era every once in a while. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of songs that you parents and grandparents will like that are still seriously romantic and cool.

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

This romantic tune feels as fresh today as it did in the 60’s, with its crooning verses and its big horn-section hit leading up to the climactic, “I love you baby!” in the middle section. It’s danceable, it’s sweet, and it shouldn’t make anyone under 40’s eyes roll.

Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers

Sure, you could go for the Elvis version, but this one’s the true classic. It’s a perfect slow-dance for old-timers and youngsters alike, with the quivering blue-eyed soul of the Righteous Brothers presaging the Ed Sheerans and Andrew McMahons of today. By the time they reach for the stratosphere in the final minute, you’re sure to be feeling the romance.

My Girl – The Temptations

As soon as you hear that bouncing bass line, you know you’re in for a treat. Sing it with me: “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…” In addition to the absolutely adorable lyrics, this song has a nice mid-tempo beat, perfect for gentle dancing that won’t break any hips.

I Second That Emotion – The Miracles

Smokey Robinson might possibly be an alien from another galaxy. There’s no other voice on earth that can float around in the stratosphere and still sound as silky smooth as his does. But once you get past the considerable charm of his voice, you’ve still got great wall-of-sound production and clever lyrics to boot.

I Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe – Barry White

Ignore the fact that you quite possibly might have been conceived to the fervent basso profundo of Barry White. This song is delightful front-to-back, with a groove that’s almost like disco but is soulful enough to avoid getting lumped in with that unfortunate trend. It’s just a stone-cold delight front-to-back, perfect for putting a little romance into the evening.

We all know there’s nothing more adorable than seeing our parents and grandparents cut a rug on the dance floor. You can help make that happen by throwing in a few songs calculated to bring them back to their carefree, youthful days. Pick any of the above songs and you’ll get the old folks dancing without clearing the younger guests from the floor. If you do see a twenty-something sitting out the best that Motown had to offer, just keep telling yourself you still love them even if they do have appallingly bad taste in music.

When it comes time to start picking your wedding favors, choosing something that your guests can actually use is always a great idea. Not only will your guests enjoy a wedding favor more when they can actually use it, but it can often times make the reception a better experience as well. One of the best examples of this is a hangover kit which will help your weary guests get back to normal after a long night of drinking, dancing, and other fun wedding activities.

Let’s face it; most weddings are an excuse for your friends and family members to drink way too much and act like a fool with little or no repercussions. Though this is typically a completely acceptable behavior at most weddings, it can lead to a pretty nasty morning that even a seasoned wedding veteran can regret. By supplying the perfect mix of goodies to help your guests get their day started correctly, you can expect happier people and better reviews of your reception at future anniversary parties. Here are some fun ways to present your hangover kits to your guests along with some ideas for what you can included to make them effective.

Container Options

Presentation of your hangover kit is what will actually make it a cute addition to your wedding, so make sure you take your time and choose something that fits your wedding theme. Here are a few choices that will go over very well:

Place the items in a canvas drawstring bag. This is probably the cheapest container option, and you can just add a little tag to the drawstring or even buy some with a custom logo printed on the front of each bag.

Place the items in a tin case with a custom sticker on the front. This is a more durable option, but it will be a bit pricier. Just put some filler like Easter grass inside to keep the goodies from rattling around.

Place the items in a wooden box. This is similar to the tin case option, but you would use a wooden box instead. This can blend better with a rustic wedding theme, and you can optionally have your wedding information burned into the lid using a wood burner kit.

Hangover Relief

There are a number of items that you’ll want to put in your hangover kits that will actually help to alleviate the symptoms your guests may be suffering from the morning after your wedding. Here are a few tried and true items that almost everyone will agree helps make the morning a little easier to handle:

A travel-sized bottle of Aleve, Advil, or another pain reliever for headaches.

Eye drops for bloodshot eyes.

Bandages for those bumps and bruises they didn’t feel until morning.

Blister cream for the backs of their feet from dancing in uncomfortable shoes all night.

Mouthwash to rinse out the flavor of old booze and regret.

Rejuvenating Goodies

Not only do your guests need things to alleviate the direct symptoms from their hangover, but there are also some items that will help to give them energy so they can take on the day. Here are some other thoughtful items that your guests are sure to enjoy when they finally get motivated in the AM:

A bottle of water for rehydration.

A bottle of Gatorade to replenish electrolytes and give them energy.

A candy bar or energy bar to help them get their energy back in a hurry.

Many people choose to put items such as Blood Mary mix or a can of beer into their hangover kits as either a gag or as a way to give their guests the “hair of the dog”, but that type of item is up to you. Just remember that when you’re giving your guests a hangover kit as a wedding favor to include all the items you like to have after a night of drinking and it should work out perfectly.